Learn how to bake and get baked
This cannabis-infused brownie recipe uses coconut oil as a butter substitution and base for a vegan cannabis butter.
Photo by Rachel Marty
Coconut oil is a great replacement for butter and absorbs cannabinoids in the same manner.
The first step is to make the “cannabutter.”
Depending on how much marijuana you use, your brownies can have a higher or lower dosage of THC. When making cannabis-infused products, always be cautious of your dosage and measurements.
Start by decarboxylating the marijuana.
Photo by Rachel Marty
The decarboxylation process is simple: spread marijuana out on a tray and place it in an oven preheated to 245 degrees for 30 minutes.
Photo by Rachel Marty Photo by Rachel Marty
This is an essential step. Decarboxylation heats up the cannabis flower and allows the body to absorb the cannabinoids, essentially activating the cannabis. This process happens instantly when marijuana is smoked, but when making edibles it must happen slowly to preserve the product and not burn it.
The next and longest step is to infuse the coconut oil with the decarboxylated marijuana.
Throw the coconut oil and decarboxylated marijuana in a sauce pan and let it simmer on the lowest heat setting for three hours.
Photo by Rachel Marty Photo by Rachel Marty
Heat on the lowest heat setting ensures your oil will be fully infused and that the baked marijuana will not burn.
Don’t leave the house or kitchen when you are infusing your oil. Three hours is a long time, but leaving your stove unattended is dangerous and could potentially start a fire.
After three hours your coconut oil will no longer be clear and will have a deep green color to it.
Photo by Rachel Marty
The next step is to separate the cannabis-infused oil from the actual cannabis. To do this, use a cheesecloth.
Photo by Rachel Marty
A regular strainer’s holes are too big and will leave you with little bits of marijuana in your oil. Using cheesecloth on top of a strainer is the best course of action and will ensure your oil is as pure as possible.
Photo by Rachel Marty
Next, measure out however much oil you need for your brownie recipe.
Photo by Rachel Marty
It’s important that the coconut oil does not sit out for too long or the oil will become dense and harder to incorporate into the mix. No worries if your oil does set up. Just reheat it.
As for eggs, almost every brownie recipe out there calls for them, but just like butter, there are some great substitutes you can use. Applesauce is a good substitute, which is what this recipe uses, but you can also use mashed-up bananas or yogurt.
Photo by Rachel Marty
Finally, mix all of your ingredients together, pour it out into a pan and put it into the oven.
Photo by Rachel Marty
When your brownies come out of the oven, they may look soft or even underdone, but let them rest in a cool space for 10-15 minutes and they will set. Fresh out of the oven, the coconut oil will be very apparent on the top of the brownies and make them look oily, but as they cool the oil will absorb and become denser.
Photo by Rachel Marty
Again, be careful of your dosage when consuming any cannabis-infused product.